How The Houston Rockets Could Land LeBron James

SportsMoney
I write generally about the Houston Rockets and their finances

LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers being defended by Chris Paul of the Houston Rockets in February. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)

Kevin Pelton at ESPN.com is the latest to have broken down the Houston Rockets' various paths to acquiring LeBron James. In short, James would need to opt in to his 2018-19 contract and have the Cleveland Cavaliers trade him to Houston, similar to the transaction that brought Chris Paul to the Rockets last summer.

But unlike Paul, James would stand to make slightly more this season by going this route than he would were he to sign a max contract on the open market. He could also, in theory, sign a max extension with Houston during the season. To make such a deal work, Houston would need to either trade several key contributors from its rotation or find a taker for Ryan Anderson. While the tax bill would be massive, the Rockets could still bring back Chris Paul, Clint Capela and Trevor Ariza in such a scenario.

To begin, it is difficult imagining James extending with Houston during the season and thereby relinquishing his rights to control his own future. If Rockets general manager Daryl Morey were so lucky as to land James, one would think the commitment would be for one year, allowing James to assess the fit, maintain leverage and re-evaluate his options the following summer. This is even if Chris Paul signed a multi-year contract to remain with the Rockets for the remainder of his career. James is the only 33-year-old on the planet who does not need to mitigate risk in contractual considerations — the market will always be there.

Discussion of the Ryan Anderson dilemma, without fail, is met by a collective groan from the Rockets' fanbase, but I have maintained for some time now that Houston would not even be in the position to recruit James or other high-priced free agents were it not for the acquisition of Anderson. Without 55 wins two seasons ago, there's no Chris Paul, and without Anderson, there's no 55 wins. Houston is paying the price now with Anderson becoming completely ineffective, but the once-sharp-shooting power forward was a necessary component in the team's trajectory to where it finds itself now.

Eric Gordon and his $13.5 million salary would also be a necessary piece in a James acquisition. Gordon is attractive because his salary is substantively large for salary-matching purposes, but a huge bargain relative to his worth. He could also fetch a decent return on the secondary market. For instance, one could imagine a team like Oklahoma City, looking to win now, trade a draft pick for Gordon. Cleveland, if agreeing to facilitate James' departure, almost certainly would deal Gordon in a later move to secure future assets and reduce payroll. To this end, its fortunate for Houston that Gordon fared so well against Golden State in the West Finals. He likely improved his trade value.

On the Rockets, James would slot in at power forward in P.J. Tucker's spot next to Trevor Ariza. Clint Capela, Paul, and James Harden would round out the starting quintet. If Morey were inclined, Luc Mbah a Moute could be brought back at the midlevel because the team in this scenario would be operating over the cap. Set Mbah a Moute's disastrous playoff performance aside - Morey won't let such noise influence him. Mbah a Moute, when healthy, should be a part of the blueprint to dethrone the Warriors, and he's an affordable option.

If Anderson stays, Tucker's $8 million salary almost surely would be needed to make a match. Yet something feels so very wrong about dealing Tucker. It's the part of this game that's the most difficult to stomach. Apart from fitting Houston's system like a glove, in some ways Tucker became the heart and soul of this team last season. On a team that maximized its effort against the Warriors, no one went harder than P.J. Tucker. But that's the business and there will be casualties in this brave pursuit of the title. Everyone forgot Patrick Beverley when Chris Paul was leading Houston to its best finish in franchise history.

I am an attorney specialized in Public Finance, Municipal Tax, and Open Government, living in Houston, Texas. I have been covering the Houston Rockets since 2009 at Red94.net, formerly ESPN.com’s TrueHoop Network Houston Rockets affiliate. I am the host of The Red94 Podcas...